


A Solid Stance

by causticash



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Either of the armstrong siblings with the Curtis' is chef's kiss, F/F, I simply think that describing someone as metal-like is foreplay for alchemists, I think this could use more pining tbh, cannot believe my first fic is fmab, lots of metal references, post-battle romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-07
Updated: 2020-09-07
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:14:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,322
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26337022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/causticash/pseuds/causticash
Summary: General Olivier Mira Armstrong is a cold, hard woman. It's impossible to be anything but when leading the forces at Briggs Mountains. She had learned even as a child to stand strong, to be stubborn and loyal and smart to achieve her ambitions, to get what she wanted and gain power.When she met the housewife and alchemist Izumi Curtis, smart flew out of her mind. Stubborn, loyal, wanting-- these remained.
Relationships: Izumi Curtis/Sig Curtis, Olivier Mira Armstrong & Izumi Curtis, Olivier Mira Armstrong/Izumi Curtis
Comments: 7
Kudos: 14





	A Solid Stance

General Olivier Mira Armstrong is a cold, hard woman. It's impossible to be anything but when leading the forces at Briggs Mountains. She had learned even as a child to stand strong, to be stubborn and loyal and smart to achieve her ambitions, to get what she wanted and gain power. 

When she met the housewife and alchemist Izumi Curtis, smart flew out of her mind. Stubborn, loyal, wanting-- these remained. 

Izumi Curtis stood solid, kept both feet on the ground when she wasn't busy kicking the hell out of someone. Her stance was so grounded Olivier didn't think a blizzard or a grizzly or anything of the sort could knock her down. She remembered suddenly the hushed whispers of the Elric brother when they thought she couldn't hear, murmuring about their teacher being the woman who stole Briggs supplies and beat up soldiers nearly twenty years ago. Armstrong had chuckled to herself when she overheard this, but now she was not so jovial in the face of this woman's bravado.

Standing in the staircase leading into the depths of Central, prepared to blast another tunnel into the rock, Izumi Curtis stared into Olivier's eyes and grinned, all that alchemist confidence shining from her face. Olivier wanted to ask where they would go, wanted to question Izumi on exactly how attached she was to that husband of hers, though she respected his loyalty and strength. She had half a mind to follow them, to follow Izumi Curtis to the ends of the earth or into hell or anywhere. She was admonishing herself for falling into such a stupor when a portal opened up beneath the housewife/alchemist, and despite the death grip the General kept on Izumi's hand, she disappeared into the eye. The look of horror on her face lingered in Olivier's mind for long after, even once she knew Izumi was alright, even after the fight had ended and the Elric brothers had conquered God or truth or alchemy itself, even once everyone was counting up the dead and patching up their own injuries.

Preparations were necessary of course. She spoke to her men determining the location of Buccaneer's body, the bodies of all her fallen soldiers who died protecting the gates. She'd glared daggers at Lieutenant Hawkeye as she trailed around holding onto the Colonel, letting her know silently that Mustang owed her some serious public relations after the capitol radio claimed she assisted in the coup. Hawkeye nodded briskly; the Colonel clearly already had a near-endless list of responsibilities and promises to uphold, but Armstrong wanted to ensure her own seat of power was not lost in the chaos of political change. 

Her cloying brother had swept her up in an embrace, further crushing her already pummeled rubs, but his typical fanfare did not follow. There was much cause for celebration, they had just won a huge victory, but this seemed to be a moment of enough nuance and tragedy that Alex understood the toll and did not wish to add any theatrics to it. Olivier approved, for once. Not everyone was solemn, but many had looks of absolute despair. Many lives had been lost today, and this would remain a point of grief and violence for the rest of history. 

Olivier had almost forgotten Izumi's look of horror, though not her iron grip on the General's hand, when a pair of sandals marched firmly to stand beside her military grade boots. 

"What a day," muttered Izumi Curtis, though she seemed to be one of those in a good mood following the battle. Her pupils had won back their bodies, she and her husband had survived, and the country was safe from a god-swallowing maniac, so Olivier could understand her battle-won satisfaction.

"What a day," agreed Olivier, surveying the battered and destroyed courtyard. Never before had she felt this particular trepidation. She assumed Izumi just wanted to engage in typical warrior-at-arms camaraderie, but the idea of remembering that solid stance and firm grip for many more days made something pool in her gut.

"You are quite a hard woman. Solid as steel. Cold metal. The finest material."

A shiver went down Olivier's spine, something that hadn't happened since her first stationing at Fort Briggs. 

"You yourself are a fine warrior. Firm, ruthless, passionate. Certainly someone to appreciate." Olivier paused. "I'm sure your husband knows he is a lucky man. Most men are weak, and would not be able to handle such a strong woman."

Izumi didn't say anything in response, but Olivier didn't fear that this was due to anger or offense. She turned her head to look at Izumi's face, though she knew it would imprint her further into her mind, leaving her with memories that would continue to linger long after this day. 

Izumi was looking at her the way a strategist looks at a weapons cache, at favorable position, at loyal and intelligent subordinates. With the hunger of recognizing power, with appreciation, and yet, something even more than that. Olivier felt another tug in her gut as she recognized her same wanting in this woman staring back at her. Izumi's dark eyes shone as she looked into cold, icy blue. 

"My husband does not handle me, though I'm sure you know that. We are a partnership, a family. But we are our own people, with our own freedoms, and that makes us who we are. My alchemy has never been a point of contention or any kind of conflict. I am a housewife, and I am an alchemist, and I am a woman."

Olivier knew her face was filled with more than she usually dared show. This woman-- wanted her, in return? The General had been wanted before, of course, but never by someone worth of even a scrap of her attention. Vapid, power-hungry men who thought her ambition a point of appeal until it disrupted their expectations. But Izumi, she knew, had no such ambitions herself. Just a housewife, and an alchemist.

General Armstrong had spent decades protecting the northern border of Amestris, strategizing against Drachman spies, building up her soldiers into a unit based on survival and loyalty. She was talented, driven, and confident in her desires. It took her only a brief moment to decide what she wanted. 

"I will be remaining in Central for the foreseeable future, to help rebuild this country and ensure that the government rules powerfully and justly. I presume you will be staying around for some time as well?"

The set of Izumi's mouth had been determined but not desperate. She wanted Olivier, she was indicating that much, but she wasn't going to pine after her if the interest was unrequited or insecure. Olivier felt a small stab of envy that this woman held more strength than her in that respect, and then a subsequent upswelling of her desire. A woman stronger than herself, more experienced in a field like alchemy that Olivier herself was ignorant of, who could perhaps teach her this grounding and knowledge? An incredible opportunity on all fronts. 

"Of course. Ed and Al need as much family around as they can get, even with Hohenheim here, and it would be negligent of us to return home safely without helping to rebuild this city. And, after all, there are so many interesting allies to meet, so much to learn about how we all managed to come together. I've always wanted to discuss the Northern border, for instance, with a soldier from the mountains. You know, I spent some time there as a younger woman."

The laughter and mirth in Izumi's eyes told Olivier a final pleasing fact-- not only could this woman teach her more strength, and of a different kind, but she could also teach her true humor and warmth. 

The Impregnable Wall of the North felt a small chip in her armor-- but knew this would be reforged with even stronger steel.

**Author's Note:**

> Ahhhh this is my first ever posted fic and I wrote it on a wim tonight so who know if it's any good
> 
> Please let me know if you like it!! I just finished rewatching FMAB for probably the fifth time and it still makes me happily angsty every time. Hope you enjoy!


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